Screen wall for centrifugal baskets



April 12,1927. 1,624,288

E. N. STONE SCREEN WALL FOR CENTRIFUGAL BASKETS Filed Maro'h 2l. 1923 l s' ray ps yrfoney Zit) Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDT/YARD N. STONE, 0F OGDEN, UTAH, ASSIG'NOR GF @NVE-HALF TO CR-ESSO-N-MO'RRIS COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNS VANIA.

YLVANIA, A CRPGRATION OF PENNSYL- SCREEN WALL FOR CENTRIFlTG-AL BASKETS.

Application tiled March 21, 1923. Serial No. 626,583.l

This invention relates to screen walls for centrifugal baskets: and it comprises a. sheet of metallic material adapted to be bent into annular form, said sheet being provided, adjacent one end, with a series of transverse slots, and being slit, adjacent the other end, to forni a corresponding series of registering tongues provided with laterally foldabl'e wings or flaps adapted to be folded back to enable the tongues to be passed through the slots and holding the tongues in locking cngagement in the slots when unfolded; all more fully hereinafter set forth and as claimed.

In the usual types of basket centrifugals used for sugar and similar materials the part most subject to wear and needing the most frequent repair or replacement is the screen wall. This wall is com-posed of slotted or perforated metal or of wire mesh material, as. the case may be, and in use is supported at the top and the bottom. Usually in placing er replacing the basket wall a flat sheet of suitable perforated or forami.- nous metal is bent into annular form and the ends of the sheet riveted, soldered or clamped together; this operation requiring considerable time, skill and labor.,

It is the object of the present invention to devisel a type o-f screen wall which can be cut in standard lengths at the factory and shipped, stored a-nd handled in flat or arcuate forni and after positioning in the centrifugal, can have thc ends readily placed in eocure locking engagement with a minimum of time, labor and skill.

To this end I make a screen of suitable size and shape provided adjacent one end with a series of tongues 'or tangsl or projections or the like and provided adjacent the other end with corresponding slots, the tongues, tangs or projections having portions wider at certain points than the width of the slots whereby the wider portions may be folded to allow the tongues, tangs or projections to pass into the slots and unfolded when the tongues are in the slots to engage the metal of the screen surroui'iding the slot and prevent accidental removal of the tongues, tangs or projections. rfhe locking engagement eifected through this construction is strong enough to withstand the heavy stresses and strains incident to the use of such a screen in a centrifugal and the annular screen wall formed when. the ends are locked together as described has a substantially smooth inner surface, it beingpossi.- ble by means of the construction described to insert the tongues through the slots in such a. way that they and their foldable portions aforesaid are positioned on the outside of the screen or in other words on that side of the screen w `ll which is adjacent the bowl of the centrifngal. lVhen assembled as described there are no sharp edges or angles or other projections inside the screen which might be engagedl by the plow or other instrument used for discharging or scraping the solid material from the inside of the screen wa-ll.

The screen may be made of one standard length of metal to lit in the centrifugals or may be made ofl a plurality of sections of standard lengths. Vhen made of a plurality of sections each section is united. to an adjoining one through the locking mechanism described. One advantage of' suchv arrangement is that one of the sections may be replaced if worn or damaged and the remaining sections utilized.

Centrifugal walls under the present in.- vention are nseful for screens for baskets of machines used in the centrifugal separation and straining of materials of any kind but they are particularly useful in machines used for the separation and purification of sugar.

In the accompanying drawings, showing a specific embodiment of my invention and in the several views of which similar reference numerals indicate corresponding parts Fig. l is a face View of the sheet of material in flat form;

Fig. 2' is an outer face detail view showing the two endsof the sheet before engagement; j

Fig. 8 is a similar outer face View of the two ends after engagement has been ettfected, and

Figs. 4 and 5 are, respectively, transverse sectional views, on an enlarged scale, on the lines 4 4 and 5 5 of Referring to the drawings, reference numeral l indicates a sheet of metallic material (iron, steel, copper, bronze, etc.) suitable for use as a screen in a centrifugal basket. This sheet may be of perforated or slotted metal or of woven wire but for simplicity of the showing the foraminous structure is not illustrated. The sheet, at or adjacent one end, is provided with a series of transverse slots 2, and, adjacent the other y end, it is cut transversely, longitudinally and inwardly from the edge, so as to form al corresponding series of tongues 3 (shown as of general spear-head shape) Which are, at or near their bases, of greater Width than the length of the slots 2. Intervening between the spearhead tongues 3 are other tongues 6. Before forming the screen of the flat sheet, the side wings 7 of each tongue 3 are folded back, on the dotted lines, Fig. l, to the position shown in Fig. 2. The tongues 3 are thus reduced to a Width which is less than the length of the slots 2. The sheet is then bent into annular form with its ends overlapping, the tongues 8 being passed through the slots as shown in Figs. 3 and and the fingers 6 overlying the opposite end of the sheet as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The bent side wings 7 are then straightened to their normal positions and the two ends of the sheet are thus locked together, it being impossible to Withdraw the flattened spea`rhead tongues from the slots Without foldn ing back the side Wings. The two ends can be separated Without destroying the locking elements by merely reversing the locking process. i

in accordance with the above invention instead of making the screen of one piecey of metal of standard length it can be made of a number of standard sections, each sec tion being provided With the locking means described and being locked to the adjoining section in the manner pointed out, the tongues ofeach section engaging the slots of the next section adjoinino'. When the required number of screen sections are locked together, the entire screen is bent into annular form and the free ends of the end sections are locked in the same manner as described for a screen made of a single section.

That I claim is:

l. As an element of centrifugal machines, a sheet of foraminous metal, said sheet, at one end being provided with a series of transverse slots and at the other end with a corresponding series of longitudinally ex tending tongues stamped from but not extending past the sheet and having bases Wider than the length of the slots, the bases forming side wings adapted to be folded aack to enable the tongues to be passed through the slots and to be unfolded to hold. the tongues in locking engagement in the slots7 the said longitudinally extending tongues defining complementary tongues which form a substantially continuous surface with the ends of said first-named tongues When the element is assembled and the Wings of said lirstaiamed tongues are unfolded.

2. As an element of centrifugal machines, a sheet of foraminous metal, said sheet at one end being provided with a series of transverse slots and at the other end with a. corresponding series of longitudinally eX- tending tongues stamped from but not extending past the sheet and provided with laterally foldable Wings adapted to be folded back to enable the tongues to be passed through the slots and to hold the tongues in locking engagement in the slots when unfolded, the said longitudinally extending tongues defining complementary tongues which form a substantially continuous surface with the ends of said first-named tongues when the element is assembled and the Wings of said first-named tongues are uniolded.

3. A screen for centrifugal machines comprisinga plurality of sheets of foraminous metal, each of said sheets being provided at one end with a series of transverse slots and at the other end With a corresponding .Series of longitudinally extending tongues, stamped from but not extending past the sheet and said tongues being provided with Wings adapted to be folded for insertion in said slots and thereafter unfolded for holding the tongues in locking engagement in the slots, the said longitudinally extending tongues detining complementary tongues which form a` substantially continuous surface with the ends of said first-named tongues when the element is assembled and the Wings of said first-named tongues are unfolded.

4. A screen for centrifugals comprising a plurality of attached foraminous metal sections each having a` plurality of tongues on one end and a plurality of slots on thel other end, and the tongues having portions Wider than the slots, the said tongues being inserted in the slots and lying substantially flat upon the metal of the next section With the wider portions of the tongues engaging the metal of the sheet of the next section to prevont accidental removal of the tongues from the slots the said tongues defining complenientary tongues which forni a substantially continuous surface with the ends of said first-named tongues when the sections are assembled. and the wings of said tiret-named tongues are unfolded.

In testimony whereof, l have hereunto affixed my signature.

EDWARD N. STONE. 

